


A Friend In Need

by Not_You



Category: Watchmen (Comic), Watchmen - All Media Types
Genre: Children, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Female Friendship, Fire, Gen, Minutemen Era, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Peril, Platonic Cuddling, Short One Shot, old fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-11-02 04:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10936761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_You/pseuds/Not_You
Summary: A fire in an orphanage might sound like a fucking joke, like the kind of thing masks do in comic books, but Ursula is lucky to be alive, let alone to have sustained no permanent damage. She had known the odds when she went in, and it's that thought that makes Sally choke up a little, watching her reach up to check her hair.





	A Friend In Need

She sits up before she's awake, covered in cold sweat. "Marianne!"

Truthfully, Sally had been half-asleep, two hours into her shift by Ursula's bedside. She's awake now, by god. "Hush." She puts a hand on Ursula's shoulder, amazed at how hard it is. The bitch is skinny and strong, but Sally never has much reason to touch her. "Marianne's safe, honey. You got them all out." Ursula shudders and starts to cry, those long, cruel hands flying to cover her face. Sally sighs, and sits on the bed, taking her sobbing teammate into her arms. "It's okay." 

Sally had been the one to undress her and wash the soot off, but Bill had volunteered one of his enormous school t-shirts as a nightdress. Apparently the school's colors are gold and royal purple. It suits Ursula, even with a bandage over one eye and the ends of her hair singed. Sally rubs her back, sort of surprised at how small the imposing Silhouette is when you've actually got her in your arms. "It's all right, honey. They're all safe, and we got an actual doctor to check your eye and that's gonna be fine, too. You did it. You're safe and you didn't lose anyone."

Ursula slowly hiccups to a stop, and Sally gets her a glass of water, two aspirin, and some tissues. "Thank you," she mutters, after swallowing the pills and blowing her nose. "I guess I should say I'm sorry for ragging on you about the old country."

"Aw, hell. Forget it, kid."

She laughs, and winces as it pulls at burns and strained muscles. A fire in an orphanage might sound like a fucking joke, like the kind of thing masks do in comic books, but Ursula is lucky to be alive, let alone to have sustained no permanent damage. She had known the odds when she went in, and it's that thought that makes Sally choke up a little, watching her reach up to check her hair. She smiles slightly to feel that it's mostly all right, that a trim of only about an inch will make it reasonably attractive again.

"Curling it will probably help." Sally hears herself offer.

"You think?" Ursula raises her visible eyebrow, and Sally sits down beside her again, running her fingers through the straight black hair, not so sleek as usual.

"Yeah, but not a heat treatment, because it's already fried. If it was mine, I'd soak it in conditioner and make knot curls overnight. It'd be kind of Garbo."

"Well, Queen Christina was definitely a dyke."

Sally snorts. "For once, I agree with you."

Ursula smiles slightly. "Oh, surely this hasn't been the first time."

"You think?"

"I heard you on my way out, that they weren't letting you come in after me because it was hopeless. You've never liked me, but I'm glad you'll go to the wall for me."

Sally feels the ridiculous urge to blush, like this is something that has to be defended. "I guess... I guess I know you'd do it for me." She looks away, in case Ursula says something cutting, and nearly jumps when she takes her hand, squeezing reassuringly.

When she speaks, her voice is a little hoarse with a combination of smoke and sentiment. "I would, Sally. I would."


End file.
